Apple to Launch the iPhone 5 by the End of 2011?

Ever since Apple announced the dates for WWDC 2011, the blogosphere has been abuzz with speculation about what we can expect at the event. Going by historical trends, the first thing that came to mind was the next version of the iPhone – the iPhone 5.

However, a rumor has been making the rounds that Apple won’t be launching the iPhone 5 in June this year. Even the official press release announcing the dates for WWDC 2011 said that “Apple will unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS” at the event. It’s supposed to focus only on the next versions of iOS and Mac OS X, with no new hardware launches.

Today, we have another report by Avian Securities that says that the iPhone 5 production will begin in September, pushing the actual release to Christmas or even next year. It also states that Apple might be working on a lower priced version of the iPhone – just what it needs to fight off the growing domination of Android.

Though without precedent, this belief, that the iPhone will likely be delayed, seems to be the general consensus these days. Maybe you will have to wait another 8 months before you get your hands on the next iPhone.

“Supporting out comments over the last month, conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone-5 will begin in September. This is consistent with Avian findings in the supply chain in recent months and we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario. In addition, our conversations also indicate the existence of a lower-spec/lower-priced iPhone in Apple’s roadmap. However, while our contacts have seen the placeholder in the Apple roadmap, they do not yet have insight into specs or production timing. This leads us to believe that any launch is likely a very late 2011 or more likely a 2012 event. As a reminder, Avian has uncovered several data-points in recent months pointing to the existence of a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone. A lower-spec/lower-price iPhone has also been speculated in the press and gadget blogs, though we do not believe consensus currently discounts the existence of such a model.”